


Vincit amor verus? (Emma and Copia part 3)

by Rowan_Morrison



Category: Ghost (Sweden Band), Ghost - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: But what's consent when you've sold your soul, F/M, Family Issues, I never said their relationship was always healthy, Mental Anguish, Multi, My old favorite -- dubious consent, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:27:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22573246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rowan_Morrison/pseuds/Rowan_Morrison
Summary: The Cardinal and Sister Emma continue their relationship, but will it be ended by the meddling ways of Imperator, who thinks Emma is unsuitable as a partner for Copia?Slow burn as usual. Might end up more squishy relationship romancy, but I'll try to fight the urge.
Relationships: Cardinal Copia/Sister Emma(OFC)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

2018

I could not believe what I was seeing. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would have never believed it. I was looking at something horrible. Something I never thought I would see. Holding the glossy pages between the pinched thumb and forefinger of each hand, I walked down the hallway from the library towards Luka’s office. Water ghoul walked by, eyes widening at the sight of me stomping down the hallway. I snarled and he quickened his pace away from me. Oh, I was pissed. 

I knocked on the door to his office and didn’t even wait for him to say enter. Yep, I was that mad. He had not yet looked up when I slapped the magazine on his desk. 

“What...the fuck...is this?” I was loud and I did not care. 

Copia looked up at me and sighed. I was familiar with this sigh and I knew what it meant. Nihil and Imperator. Mom and stepdad. Or real dad depending on if you believed the rumors. 

“It’s the new Metal Hammer,” he stated, master of the obvious. 

“I understand that, Luka. But his HEAD? Really? Did you cut it off? Did you? Just tell me now.”

“No, nothing as dramatic as lopping it off in a ceremonial fit of anger, trust me.”

“Who?”

“The undertaker we hired,” he sighed again. “Mother insisted that we show that the dynasty was over. That they are not coming back and it’s the era of...well, me.”

“Promise me you didn’t play with it and make his lips move.”

“Clappity clap Frisco,” he blushed brightly and held his hand over his mouth trying to hide his grin. 

“That’s hideous, Luka.”

“Isn’t it, though?” 

“You did the kazoo thing, too, didn’t you?”

“Couldn’t resist,” he was actually trying to look sheepish and failing miserably. “When you’ve lived your life as the bastard son, the rat boy, the sort of heir to the throne of whatever this is, you find your pleasures where you can.” He cleared his throat nervously. 

“Well, as your new secretary I feel obligated to tell you something important.”

“Yes, mi tesoro, what is it?”

“Next time wear the red cassock. That black one does not do you justice,” I giggled. I was getting more and more used to his blatant evilness. I was a true believer, but serving and, to be honest, servicing one of the Dark Lord’s leaders on earth was a little more in your face with it than I thought it would be. Plus, I was feeling things towards the Cardinal that were making me uncomfortable. We had spent two very pleasurable nights together. I was here to serve and he had asked me to be his new secretary. As a Latin scholar and the second best one in the ministry, I felt a bit underwhelmed at the prospect of answering phone calls, email and correspondence for Luka. He promised me ample time to keep up on my studies. So the decision to spend more time with him was easy, especially since he would be going out on the road soon and be gone for pretty much a lot of the next two years. 

“I shall take your advice into account, dearest Emma.” 

“Thank you kindly, Cardinal,” I gave a little curtsy and nod. 

Running my hand along the desk edge, I walked behind it to Copia’s chair. He turned to me and finally looked me in the eyes with those beautiful mismatched orbs. Magickal? Captivating? Use whatever words you want because when I looked straight into those eyes, I was totally his. And given my personality, this was a weird place for me to be. 

He was dressed in his usual around-the-abbey outfit of a black shirt with black trousers. I bent down and put my hands on his thighs. Ungh, I gripped them and rubbed my thumbs in circles caressing as I moved up his legs, not breaking the stare. 

He whispered, “May I kiss you?” One of his kinks was asking for things he could just take. 

“Please,” I responded and as he tilted his head up to meet mine, I felt his hands in my hair as our lips met. We kissed delicately at first, sweetly tasting each other as I felt his mustache bristle my upper lip.  
He slid his tongue into my mouth effortlessly, entwining it with mine as his hands moved to my waist.  
My hands continued up his thighs and he groaned into my mouth at the touch. He kissed along my jawline to my ear and whispered, “We will definitely continue this later, but right now I have a --”

The door flew open.

“ – meeting,” he finished. 

I quickly stood back up and straightened my habit. 

Of course, it was Imperator, Nihil and this absolutely shockingly beautiful woman. 

Fuck my life.


	2. Chapter 2

Imperator, as usual, raised one eyebrow at me and said, “You may go, Sister Emma.” She then shot a look at Luka and rolled her eyes as I walked by them to the door. 

“Oh, but before you go. I want you to meet someone. This is NoirRose Beausoleil, the Cardinal’s fiancee.”

I was facing the door, which was a very good thing, because if I hadn’t been Imperator would have been truly gleeful seeing the look on my face. I didn’t know which thing to be – angry or balefully sad. I swallowed hard, set my face to a slight smile and turned back around. 

I curtsied. “Pleasure to meet you. As the Cardinal’s assistant, I shall be available to help you in any way needed.” 

She looked at me blankly, then smiled softly. “I shall look forward to it.” She was damned quiet. Flowing, wavy dark red hair cascaded over her shoulders to about mid back. Her eyes were so blue they were purple. Perfect hourglass figure. Jesus, shit. My life was over. I was going back to the library to hide forever because this was just not going to play. I was biting the insides of my cheeks to keep from crying. I looked back as I opened the door to see Luka looking at me. I flipped him off and left, closing the door softly behind me. Yeah, he knew how pissed I was. 

On my way back to the library, I took a detour down to the practice rooms to see if I could find George.  
He was nowhere to be found, but upon looking in the small side window of the piano room, I saw Mariposa playing. She appeared to be concentrating on the music in front of her and pounding away at the piano. She looked gloriously happy. The rooms were soundproofed, so I could not hear her play, but her enthusiasm just radiated from the room. She would make a great keyboard ghoulette in the future. I smiled as I watched her play, forgetting for a moment that I wanted to run a shiv through the band leader right now. Then I snarkily thought, “He’s not even really the band leader” to make myself feel better, which it didn’t. 

As I was heading back to the library, I spotted George with his harem. I gave him a nod to the right, our signal for “I need to talk to you ASAP” which he acknowledged with a return nod. After extricating himself from the gaggle of girls, he sidled up to me as I was rounding the corner to head back to the library.

“What’s up?” He looked at me and when he met my eyes he knew I was not in a good place.

“Wait until we’re inside,” I opened the door to the library and looked around a few corners. Nobody there but us. 

I broke down crying. “He’s got a fiancee.”

“Who? Copia? When did that happen?”

“I don’t knowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww,” I wailed. George grabbed me in a tight bear hug. “I mean, I knew there would always be others but fuck, Imperator was positively gloating. It took everything I had NOT to break down in front of her.”

“But you didn’t, did you?” He held me out at arms length and smiled. 

“No,” I wailed again. “But I have never been so humiliated. She knew exactly what she was doing.”

“Of course she did,” he kissed my forehead and hugged me again. 

“Now I have no idea what to do.”

“You don’t have to do anything. He owes you an explanation. I know what you want to do – bust right back in there and scream, ‘hands off, bitch’.”

“No, I honestly don’t blame *her*. She looks a little baffled by the whole thing. Maybe she’s not a native English speaker. Ever heard of NoirRose Beausoleil?”

“No, but the beausoleils are a rather well known Satanic family from France. She is probably one of their daughters.”

“Fuck me. So basically, a beautiful, demonic heiress. My life is over.”

“No, it’s not. Imperator wants a legacy. That’s what this is about. Having a little Copia to make into the next leader. What if you just happened to turn up with child before she does?”

“I can’t,” I did not want to have this convo right now, but here it was. 

“Can’t what?”

“Have children.”

“Oh, well, then...”

“Yeah, I know. I’m worthless to them,” I was tearing up again.

“No, you’re not worthless. Why are you doing this to yourself? Two nights. That’s it. Don’t waste any more time on him. Now I’m not saying this because I wish you would spend a couple of nights with me, honestly, but...”

I punched him in the arm and laughed. “Asshole. I’m not even thinking about that right now.”

“Maybe you should,” he wiggled his eyebrows and got another sock in the arm. “After all, I am distracting you right now and I could further distract you should you...”

“I love you, Lord Byron, but keep it in your pants.”

“For now?”

“Forever.”

“Oh, my broken heart! I shall have to go and write some verse to calm my beleaguered soul. You wanna tag along?”

I nodded. “I have some translation to do, so yeah. Father Adam will love that my work ethic has returned. But how do I tell Luka I can’t work for him?”

“Oh, wait. No. You have to stay and work for him. You’re not really giving up that easily are you?”

“What chance do I have? She’s perfect. Gorgeous, banging body, French. Oh, and about 22.”

“You have a hell of a chance because I know you, Tenacious E,” he grinned through his hair at me and threw himself down at a table, pulling a small notepad from his pocket and starting to scribble. “Plus, I could distract her, if you’d like?”

“You’re evil, George.”

“Yeah, why the fuck else would I be here?” He grinned again and blew me a kiss. Well, he did have a point. 

Later that evening, after dinner, I headed back to my room to just relax and take a shower. I so wanted to be done with this day. 

I threw my keys on my dresser and from the light in the hallway I could see someone sitting in my reading chair. I knew who it had to be.

“Why are you here?” I asked, in a not particularly nice voice. 

Copia cleared his throat. “I wanted to speak with you,” he said softly.

As I closed the door, he reached over and turned on the beside lamp. His black rimmed eyes were smudged and it looked as if he had been crying. I just looked at him, wondering how, after that scene in his office, he had the fucking nerve to just come in here and demand to speak with me. 

“It’s presumptuous for you to think I want to speak with you,” I sat across from him on my bed, glaring at him.

“I want to explain.”

“There is nothing to explain. Your mother has set you up to marry into another satanic family so that you can spawn another little Imperator/Emeritus of some sort.”

“It’s true. That is what my mother wants.”

“And you thought that would be okay with me, why? Because you are the powerful Cardinal who can do anything you want? I mean, come on, Luka. I understand that I may never be the only one, but this is too much for me to accept. You want me to come every day to work and see her with you? You’re a heartless fucking stronzo.”

He blanched at the Italian word and swallowed hard. “I guess I deserve that. But it’s not what you think. Yes, she wants an heir. Yes, I will try to accommodate that.”

“Have you known her long?”

“Since she was a child. This was ordained long ago.”

“Oh, so you knew this shit was coming and didn’t warn me?”

“I didn’t think you’d take it this hard. I mean, the other girls have always...”

“I’m not other girls.”

“I know this, I just mean...”

“Shut up. Do you love her?”

He sighed. “No. She is lovely and delightful in bed. And I can’t talk with her. We have nothing in common. There are beautiful women and good fucks all over the world. But an intense conversation with a beautiful woman? It does not get better than that.” 

Luka stood up and came over to me. He cautiously wrapped his arms around me and pulled me up for a hug. I resisted for a moment, then accepted his warmth, returning the hug and putting my head on his shoulder. 

“Please don’t abandon me over this, Emma. Think about it.” He took my face in his hands and gently kissed me before pulling away and walking out the door, leaving me standing there.


	3. Chapter 3

I knocked on his door the next morning at 9:00 a.m. as requested. I was not going to open any doors around here without waiting for a response. The less I saw the better, I figured, if I was going to keep my emotions in check. 

“Come in, Sister,” it was her voice, the little French thing.

I took a deep breath and walked into the office. I gave Luka a very hard stink eye that he could not pretend he did not see. I noticed that there was a desk placed in front of the entrance way so I could greet any visitors. It faced the doorway and I was grateful. Bad enough if I had to hear them, let alone see them. I nodded at NoirRose, who was sitting there in a full length, low cut, black velvet dress with a green sigil on the left above her breast. It was some kind of star shaped thing. I didn’t recognize it, but it was obviously their family crest. She smiled sweetly at me and I wanted to punch her in her pretty white teeth. Oh yes, I do realize that she was not to blame in any of this and I am sure she is just a pawn like the rest of us but I honestly do not care, she can go. She was sitting on the settee. The settee that just a few weeks ago...No, I was going to cry if I thought about that. 

“Hello, Sister Emma,” Luka smiled at me softly, like he was thinking very carefully about how to proceed, which was a good thing. “I hope you are happy with your new desk.”

“I am sure it will be fine, Cardinal,” I nodded and sat down, turning on the computer. I busied myself with setting up the desktop. The phone rang. It was Dionne wanting to know if it was okay to substitute fettucini alfredo for the spaghetti tonight because they were out of spaghetti noodles. I told her it was fine. 

“Who was that?” Copia asked, not looking up from the papers on his desk. I told him and he said, “Oh, Matteo will be disappointed. Maybe we should send his boy for some spaghetti?”

He looked up over the top of his small wireframe glasses. 

“Bryan would be so upset,” I snickered. 

“Rose, love, why don’t you go down to the library for a while. I am sure George will keep you good company and you won’t have to listen to us prattle on about boring church business.”

NoirRose walked gracefully over to him. Fuck, she positively glided when she walked. She tipped his chin up with her finger and placed a delicate kiss on his lips before whispering, “Oui,” and slid out the door.

“Is she going on tour with you?”

“Of course not!”

“Oh, hell no! I am not babysitting!”

“It’s only for...”

“Fuck…You,” I declared. 

“Look, we need to talk. Come over here and sit with me.”

I unceremoniously threw myself into the chair diagonal from him like the brat I am. I glared. I really glared.

“I would like you to listen to me,” he spoke very softly.

I nodded and huffed, my arms crossed in front of me. 

“I have until 2020 to prove myself. I have to show them my whole life’s work in that time. If not, I end up just like the Papas, dead and gone. And then a committee will decide who gets to be the new Papa because we are all out of Gabrielis. With a child, my mother will have the legacy she wants. No one can deny the bloodline, I am proof of that. With the bonding, the marriage between the two families, we cement our power over this church for the forseeable future. Even if there are Papas in between, my child will have a chance when he or she comes of age. We have the name and the strongest connection to the Morning Star, but the Beausoleils have money and power in the secular world, a place we only get to visit when The Director allows us.

Emma, I did not do this to hurt you. Things happened more quickly than I had been anticipating as I was going to sit down with you and explain all this because I know you’re very angry with me and I deserve it. You deserve an explanation.”

“So, you’ll get married?”

“In France, not here,” he nodded.

“And you are having a child with her?”

“Not yet, but yes, that is the plan.”

“Is this your mother’s idea?”

Luka looked at his feet.

“Planned for years. The Beausoleils are her best friends. She wasn’t always here with me. She left for a good long time. Leaving me here to be tortured by the “true” Emeritus brothers, while I was treated like an interloper.”

“So what are you going to do about it?” 

“About what?”

“Your mother running your life?”

“What makes you think I can do anything about it?”

I snorted. Just elegant, I am. “Sure, okay.”

“Look, I am very sorry for my lack of communication. I knew this would not be pleasant for you, but I did not know you would be so hurt and I never meant that. I care about you, Emma, or I would not have asked you to be here by my side. I want to see you every day, that is why I asked you to be here. Plus, I need someone I can trust to leave in charge while I am gone.”

“You trust me to be in charge? You might want to rethink that one,” I was just in total bitch mode right now. 

“I know you will always do what’s best for the church. I know it.” He knelt down in front of me and put his arms around my waist and his head in my lap. I could feel he was nervous and I wondered why. 

“Why are you shaking? You are right. I would never want to hurt the church and I would always do what’s best for it, even if it meant throwing you to the wolves.”

“I’ve already done that to myself.” I stroked his hair and looked down into his eyes, which were glistening with tears. “I agreed to all this long before we...started. Backing out now would mean not only loss of face, loss of position and loss of the papacy, but like I said, it cannot be guaranteed that I would live through it, given the anger of my mother and the Beausoleils and all the people who are counting on me to push this project further, most importantly, The Director. If he’s not happy, and he said he is not that fond of me right now, I am well and truly fucked. My goal for the next two years is to take the Ghost project as far as I can. If I make Papa, I will be able to do anything I desire. And I desire you. That is not going to change no matter what you hear from anyone. I need you to ignore the games that will be played, the things you will hear. Can you do that for me? Please?” He sat back on his haunches. 

I decided not to lie. “I’m not sure. Honestly, how do you think it feels to be relegated to second place? To have half of the people here think that I am a joke, a laughingstock who got used and dumped for, of course, a foreign beauty. The other half feeling sorry for me. It’s a fucking cliché Luka, big chick pining away for someone she can never have. I already know how this is going to go and I can barely stand it. I have other offers.” Oh, I went there. Right there. He knew it was true, too. If I asked him to, George would follow me around like a puppy. Hell, he did it already half the time. Plus, since that dance we had, there have been a lot of smiles and winks in my direction from a few brothers, sisters and even a couple of ghouls. 

“I know this, Emma. They’ve always looked at you that way.”

“No, this is only because I have your attention.” I shook my head and grabbed his hand, running my thumb over his knuckles. He looked down at our hands together, then back into my eyes. “I just don’t know. I swore I would never let anyone treat me this way. EVER, Luka.”

I gestured for him to move back so I could get up and go to my desk. As I stood and started back to what I was about to refer to as “my side” of the office, he cleared his throat.

“Emma,” he started. 

I turned around, one eyebrow raised. 

“I love you.” He stared at me, waiting.

I walked over to him, looking up into that fucking white eye.

“Go lock the door.”


End file.
